Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Associated Factors in Rural Pregnant Women in Sari, Iran 2016

Background and purpose: Pregnancy is one of the most critical periods in the lives of mothers during fertility years which could be accompanied by some complications. The current study aimed at investigating adverse pregnancy outcomes and associated factors in women residing in rural areas in Sari, Iran. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 826 pregnant women. They were selected via two-way stratified sampling from rural health centers in Sari who had health care files and gave birth in 2016. Relevant information was collected using a checklist. Results: The frequency of abnormalities at birth time were as follows: low weights 3.6%, immature infants 2.3%, abortion 1.3%, stillbirth 0.1%, congenital disorders 1.2%, and premature delivery 3%. Chi Square test showed no significant difference between adverse pregnancy outcomes or congenital abnormalities and history of abortion, stillbirth, gestational age, mothers’ educational level, and gestational diabetes (P> 0.05). Conclusion: The present study did not show a significant association between the variables studied and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This could be due to the low frequency of such outcomes and inconsiderable number of some risk factors such as pregnancy at inappropriate age. Therefore, conducting analytical researches such as case-control studies are recommended.